


Orientation

by SarcasmFish (Alcyonidae)



Series: Holy Andraste's Chantry Prep School [1]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8899282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alcyonidae/pseuds/SarcasmFish
Summary: Alistair is paired up with the newest student at Holy Andraste's Chantry Prep School.  He's tasked with taking her through orientation and introducing her to her housemates.





	

“You know, one good thing about returning to classes is how it brings everyone together.”  The boy before her grinned, a great beaming thing that almost swept her up into it.

She glanced down at the paper in her hand, confusion written across her features, and then back at the boy in front of her wearing the proud grin.  “Sorry, what?”

“Wait, we haven’t met have we?  I don’t suppose you happen to be another new student?”  His blonde and red hair was sculpted meticulously to look like it hadn’t been sculpted meticulously; a strange juxtaposition with his crooked tie and blazer that would never pass inspection with that giant wrinkle across the back.

“I am.  Duncan told me to find you.”  She waved the paper in her hand a little as evidence of her story.

“Oh!  I should have recognized you right away.  I apologize.”  She pursed her lips a bit, puzzled.  How much did he know about her already?

He did not seem to notice her silent inquiry and plowed on.  “Allow me to introduce myself; I’m Alistair.”  He faltered a moment, a frown just touching his lips as he gestured to the paper clutched in her hands.  “Though I guess you knew that.”  The slip of a frown melted away as he resumed the speech.  “As the junior member around here, I’ll be showing you around for orientation.”

“Pleased to meet you.”  She offered her hand to which he shook with enough enthusiasm for the both of them.  “I’m Astaria Surana.”

She watched him, scrutinizing his eyes, where they looked, and replayed his introduction in her mind.  He had given her a brief glance, but his eyes had not lingered on the tips of ears that poked through the hair she combed over them each morning.  His speech had sounded rehearsed, but was not terse or full of annoyance.  It was almost as if he had not noticed that he had been paired up with an elf.

“Let’s begin the tour then, shall we?”  He gestured the direction to begin, shifting the bag slung across his body behind him and out of the way.  The good natured grin had not left his lips.  Was he actually enjoying this?

Astaria tucked the paper schedule into the pocket of her blazer and fell into step beside him.  He was rather tall already for his age, while she seemed to be trapped at the same height she had occupied for years.  Most times when she walked with someone she found herself scrambling to keep pace, somehow this Alistair seemed to match her steps without thought.

“You know… it just occurred to me that there have never been many girls at this school.  I wonder why that is?”

She jerked her head up to look at him.  What kind of talk was this?  Was he coming on to her?  The lines repeated in her head.  Girls.  He had said girls, not elves or mages where there had been a wide open opportunity to point out her differences.  She had been warned before transferring to this school that she would be a rarity.  Her previous school had been rather diverse.  But here was this boy who had no reason to be nice to her overlooking her obvious disparity.

She decided to adopt his playful manner and gave him a small smirk.  “You want more girls at the school, do you?”

“Would that be so terrible?”  He seemed to realize what had just left his mouth, eyes widening a fraction.  “Not that I’m some drooling lecher or anything.  Please stop looking at me like that.”

“I can handle myself better than most.”  Her smirk took on a dangerous lilt and he gave something of an encouraging grin in return.

He slowed a bit as they entered a long hallway, peering into one or two of the classroom windows as they walked.  “This is the science wing.  You’ll start with Ms. Dagna this year.  You’re not required to wear your jacket or tie during science, but you should maybe keep them in your bag.”  His smile turned sheepish.  “It’s kind of dangerous to wear a tie during science experiments.”

Their journey crossed a hallway of long windows that looked out into a tree lined courtyard.  From here she could see the way the school formed a large collective shape, like a large U around the expansive courtyard.  Students bustled across it or lounged under trees or gathered in little pockets amid the greenery.  Out past the main building were smaller ones of various purpose.  One in particular stood out due to its tall solitary tower like shape that rose into the sky far above the tree line.

“You were under the mage endorsement at your previous school, weren’t you?”  Alistair’s voice broke her reverie.  At her nod he pointed a finger out to the tower that sat distinguished from the rest of the stately buildings.  “That’s the mage tower.  You’re under the Grey Warden endorsement now, but you’ll still take some classes there still.”

She stared out at the tower for a long moment.  There were students gathered around it, separated from the others by distance and their simple robes, so different from the uniform the rest of the school wore.  There were various accents of colors, no doubt noting different years or specialties, but they were all cut in the same style, long to their feet and hands, black with the mage symbol on the left breast.  It was the same conservative style she had arrived in this very morning.

They continued their journey until reaching another hallway, this one lined with glass enclosed shelves.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of trophies, medals, plaques, and flags sat out on proud display within the cases, not a speck of dust within.

Alistair slowed again.  “This is where the Templar classes are,” his voice had lowered, taking on something of a reverent whisper.  He gestured out one of the windows.  “And practice is outside.”

There was a group of young men and a few women with swords and shields in hand going through drills.  Most were garbed in heavy leather practice gear, but a few others perched along the fence line observing their classmates.  Their uniform was also different, a similar robe style as the mages, but much more ornate.  The over-robe was grey, but split at the bottom to reveal a shock of red with the gold burst of the Chantry richly embroidered across it.  It was closed at the waist with a matching crimson sash and the entire ensemble was finished with fine gold piping.  Across the left breast was a golden Sword of Mercy, noting their Templar trainee status.  It made them stand out amid the courtyard of verdant trees and other students wearing the standard black uniforms accented with their house colors.

“Oh,” she responded in a soft voice.  There was something grand, something hallowed about this area.  There had been a chapter of Templars at her old school, but nothing as imposing as this.

Alistair was also watching, a distant deference in his features she could not quite place.

“Alistair, what’s your endorsement?”

His attention snapped to her, as if broken from a dream.  “Oh, I was training as a Templar for the Chantry before Duncan recruited me.  That was about six months ago.”

“A Templar?  You were a mage-hunter?”  She tried not to make her voice sound different, tried not to make it sound as if they had just been placed on different platforms.

“Nothing personal, I assure you.”  He flashed that grin at her again, perhaps sensing that same shift.  “Duncan saw I wasn't happy, and figured my training against mages could double for fighting darkspawn.  Now, here I stand a proud Grey Warden.”

She believed him.  Where he had been fading while telling her about the Templars, he suddenly lit up when he spoke of the Wardens and Duncan.

Her feet shifted in place.  “You speak fondly of Duncan.”

“He risked a lot with the grand cleric to help me.”  His gaze turned fully to her.  “What about you?  What do you think about him?”

“I owe him as well.  He brought me here.”  She didn’t elaborate and Alistair did not press for more information, a fact she was grateful for.

“Let’s stop by the library before I show you the rest of your classes.”

Alistair pushed open one of the great wide doors of the library as they approached it and then stood to the side for her.  The library was massive and cavernous.  It could have fit half of her previous school inside of it.  The main floor was rimmed with shelves and shelves of books, but in the middle was an army of large wooden tables.  Three more floors floated above the main one, looking down over it like a mezzanine.  More shelves laden with books darkened these floors with a few alcoves of study tables lighting the otherwise darker spaces above.

Classes had not yet officially started.  Only new students here for orientation or others in special programs had arrived back at the school.  The library was bare, only a few workers combing through the books at one of the circulation tables and a few very dedicated students, most likely finishing their final interning, disturbed the stillness.

“It’s amazing,” she whispered in awed breath.

There was a small chuckle beside her.  “And like a maze.  I swear anytime I go in there I may never find my way out.”  His voice took on a spooky lilt to it.  “They say the books feast on the students.”

He let the door glide closed.  She craned her neck to peer through it even as it almost shut on her nose.

“C’mon, we’ll swing by a few other places and then I’ll take you to meet your new housemates.”

True to his word, Alistair took her to every last nook of the school he felt was important.  They must have spent at least two hours in the dining hall.  She found it rather kind, if not a bit odd, of Alistair to go into such grave detail on strategies to ensure she received the most amount of food possible when going through the line.  At first she had thought his explanations due to some knowledge he possessed of her background in the Denerim alienage, but the more she listened the more she realized he genuinely valued this information and desired to pass it along to her.

As the afternoon waned, he brought her to their last stop, the dormitory where she would spend her nights.  He crept up the winding staircase beside her, eyes growing wider with each step ascended.  “I’ve never been on the girls’ side,” he whispered, as if at any moment one of the Chantry nuns would jump from a shadow and haul him off by the ear.

At one of the upper floors he paused to consult a small crumpled map that had been shoved into one of his pants pockets, then led her further to the end of a hallway.  The door was already open, revealing a sunny room covered by thick framed windows on the outer side.  There were three identical beds and three identical desks within.  Each bed was flanked by an enormous black trunk she was not sure even a Qunari could lift.  Her name was written in elegant script on the one in the middle.

“Oh!  Are you Astaria?”  The right side of the room had been claimed by elegant clothing sprawled over the bed and hanging from the canopy.  Shoes to match sat neatly tucked under the bed.  A girl with a short crop of red hair stood folding each peace with loving care and storing it away inside of the massive trunk piece by piece.  There seemed to be some magic order only she knew.

The elf gave a small nod, stepping further into the room.  Alistair hung back at the doorway, as if some force prevented him from entering.  He was shifting from foot to foot, torn between looking around and decidedly not looking at anything.

“I’m Leliana!”  The girl flashed a welcoming smile that seemed to calm some of the unease that had built within her as they had neared this meeting.  “And this is Morrigan.”  She gestured across the room to another girl with inky black hair seated upon her bed.  A large ancient tome sat open on her lap.  It seemed she had already put away all of her belongings.

From the doorway Alistair jumped, an audible sound torn between a gasp and groan escaped him.

Morrigan turned her gaze to the boy, her eyes bored, but sharp.  “Now, Alistair, how many times does the housemistress have to remind you that there are no dogs allowed inside?”

“Ha. Ha, Morrigan,” Alistair drawled.  He leaned closer to Astaria, whispering rather loudly.  “I’m so sorry you’re rooming with her.  Be sure she doesn’t turn you into a frog while you sleep.”  He stared pointedly at Morrigan and hissed.  “She’s a witch.”

Astaria glanced between the two girls and inclined her head in greeting.  “It’s nice to meet you Leliana, Morrigan.”

“Now that is a proper civil greeting.  Alistair could learn something here.  I like you.”

Alistair leaned over her shoulder again, she could hear the scowl in his voice.  “I’d be careful.  First it’s, ‘I like you…’ but then ‘Zap!’ Frog time.”

Leliana stepped forward before the witch analogies could continue.  “I’ve been waiting for your things to be delivered, but no one has come up with them yet.”

The rising heat in her cheeks threatened to engulf her.  She tried to look away to hide it, as if she were examining the ceiling and floors with intense interest.  “Oh, I… I have them here.”  She clutched the school issued messenger bag at her side.  It had seen many students through these halls.  Her hand attempted to cover one of the larger egregious scuffs on the side.

She spun on her heel, eager to change the topic, back to Alistair who remained fidgeting uncertainly in the entryway.  “Thank you, Alistair.. for seeing me around.”

He blinked at her, as if it took him a moment to realize she was speaking to him again, before he smiled.  “Oh!  Yes.  Just doing my duty.”  He stared and then seemed to remember something.  “The rest of the orientation will be after dinner, which is at 6.”

“Will you be there?”

“What?”  There it was again, that surprise that flickered over his features for the briefest of seconds before the humor found his lips again.  “Yes.  I’ll be there.  And we have a few classes together, too.  Don’t think you’ll be rid of me so easily!”

He gave her an awkward little wave she returned and then scurried away, as if he were moments from being caught with his hand in the sweets cupboard.

Alone among strangers again.  Time to begin her new life here.


End file.
